LSU lost its Heisman finalist. Alabama is replacing the core of its defense. Arkansas fired Bobby Petrino and changed both coordinators. A whole new team, Texas A&M, was added to the mix.

Auburn may be the division’s biggest wild card.

When Auburn opens the season on Sept. 1 against Clemson in the Georgia Dome, the Tigers will look very different than the 8-5 squad that ended its 2011 season by beating Virginia on the same turf in the Chick-fil-A Bowl.

Both coordinators are gone, replaced by Scot Loeffler and Brian VanGorder, who have installed drastically different schemes, changed the roles of proven contributors and shaken up the depth chart.

Onterio McCalebb, who rushed for 641 yards, caught 32 passes and scored eight touchdowns in 2011, will be used as both a running back and a receiver.

So will sophomore Tre Mason, the favorite to replace Mike Dyer as McCalebb’s running mate after bulking up to 201 pounds in the offseason.

Philip Lutzenkirchen will become a primary receiver in Loeffler’s offense and line up all over the field as a traditional tight end, a slot receiver and an H-back.

Beyond Blake, Auburn’s proven No. 1 receiver, Loeffler could use as many as five different receivers.

"Any time you can look at your stat sheet and see six or seven guys touching the football, it obviously creates a problem for the defense," Loeffler said. "The more guys we can get the football, the better off we’ll be."

But the success of Loeffler’s NFL-style scheme may depend on the play of newly-christened starting quarterback Kiehl Frazier, plus an offensive line that will likely have two new starters. Auburn ranked 78th in the nation in passing efficiency in 2011, and the Tigers gave up 32 sacks, a mark that ranked 91st.

WHAT AUBURN
IS SELLING

Auburn, first and foremost, stresses the university’s "Family" atmosphere, but there is also plenty for the Tigers’ coaching staff to sell on the football front these days.
Bringing in offensive coordinator Scot Loeffler and defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder signaled Auburn’s shift to NFL-style schemes, taught by coaches with NFL experience.
Playing in those schemes should help current Tigers prepare to join the 30-plus Auburn alumni in NFL camps right now, including NFL Rookie of the Year Cam Newton.
Auburn has reeled in three straight top-10 recruiting classes and built a solid core of young talent, but there’s still immediate playing time available, as Reese Dismukes proved by starting right away in 2011.
And, of course, the coaches can tout playing in the nation’s toughest division, the SEC West, a division that puts teams in the national title hunt on an annual basis.
Few teams know that better than Auburn, only two years removed from a national championship and trying to get back to those heights again.
— Joel A. Erickson

"In terms of the physicality of the game, which is where we start, I think (the offensive line) is really making progress," coach Gene Chizik said.

Over on the defense, the changes may be harder to spot at first.

Auburn’s base defense is still the 4-3. Under new defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder, though, the Tigers will play more of an attacking style, rather than the read-and-react scheme favored by former coordinator Ted Roof.

Led by All-SEC defensive end Corey Lemonier, Auburn’s defensive linemen will be asked to penetrate and get after the quarterback.

"We have a lot of players who have to learn their roles," Lemonier said. "Once they master it, we’re going to be really good."

Behind them, the linebackers and safeties will be asked to make most of the calls and adjustments in a scheme heavily influenced by the four years that VanGorder spent as the defensive coordinator of the Atlanta Falcons.

"It’s definitely an NFL system, but that’s what we need," safety Trent Fisher said. "The coaches are putting us in position to make plays in this defense, and that’s good. We love it. We’re going to get after it."

Auburn faces one of the nation’s toughest schedules, led off by a rough five-game stretch that includes games against Clemson, Mississippi State, LSU and Arkansas.

By the time that stretch is over, the rest of the SEC West might have a better idea of how dangerous Auburn might be.

Don't miss The Birmingham News, The Huntsville Times and the Press-Register's college football preview section Sunday, Aug. 26, where we're "Kicking off the campaign: Football and politics have much in common."